Printing machine



Jan. 2, 1934. A ELEY T A; 1,941,667

PRINTING MACHINE Filed March 14, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 jive/257?.

A. ELEY ET AL PRINTING MACHINE Filed March 14. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 2, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE PRINTING ll IACHINE Alonzo Eley,

Hendon,

and Edward J ch11 Application March 14, 1931.

5 Claims.

This invention relates to printing machines of the character through which variable printing devices are sequentially fed and from which printing impressions are made.

It is sometimes desirable to make an additional impression on the sheet receiving impressions from the variable printing devices, and the salient object of our invention is to provide a novel printing machine wherein such additional impression may be expeditiously made.

Printing machines of the character to which this invention appertains are provided with a printing member or platen for making impressions from variable printing devices passed therethrough and another object of our invention is to provide one or more additional printing members or platens operatively associated with the usual platen to function therewith.

Further objects of the invention are to supply ink for the printing operation as, for example, by an ink ribbon and, when such an ink ribbon is employed, to impart a step-by-step movement thereto in accordance with the platen movements; and to provide an arrangement wherein one ink ribbon may be employed for both the usual and the additional printing operations or wherein independent ribbons may be provided for these printing operations.

In' the selected embodiments of our invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a View, partly in elevation and partly in section, illustrating a printing machine with which a selected embodiment of our invention is associated Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view;

Fig. 3 is a detail View of an operating member for the ribbon devices;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of another form of printing machine embodying our invention;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the machine illus trated in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a view taken substantially on the line 6-6 on Fig. 4.

In the accompanying drawings wherein selected embodiments of our invention are illustrated, typical printing machines are illustrated but the particular construction thereof forms no specific part of this invention for it is to be understood that the invention might be used in connection with printing machines of any desired character. For example, the printing machine illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 may be of the character shown in the Duncan Patent No. 1,681,525, patented August 21, 1928. This ma- Serial No. 522,610

chine includes a main frame 7 having parallel members 8 and 9 extending transversely thereof in which a printing device guideway 10 is provided through which the variable printing devices 11 are sequentially fed. in a step-by-step manner as, for example, by the engagement thereof with the pivotally mounted pawls 12 carried by the slide bars 13 having links 14 connected thereto, which links are likewise connected to one end of a rocker 15 pivotally mounted at 16 on a boss 1'7 depending from the frame '7. Pivotally mounted at 18 in the frame is the main drive rocker 19 to which movement is imparted in any desired manner as, for example, that setforth in the referred to Duncan patent. Journaled in the frame 7 is a shaft 20 and fixed thereon is the platen arm 21 having at the lower end thereof a roller 22 movable through a cam groove 23 in the arm 24 detachably connected to the rocker 19 to be movable therewith. When the rocker 19 is set in motion the roller 22 moves through the cam groove 23 and a reciprocatory movement is imparted to the platen arm 21. A rocker 24 is pivotally mounted on the shaft 20 and a link 25 extends between the rocker 19 and the rocker 24 and when the rocker 19 is moved movement. is imparted to the rocker 24 which is connectedby a link 26 to the rocker 15 to thereby impart reciprocatory movement thereto. It is therefore manifest that the movement of the platen arm 21 and of the bars 13 may be in timed relationso that the platen and the printing device feed will be operated in timed relation. A bell crank 27 is pivotally mounted on the shaft 20 and to one arm thereof a link 28 is pivotally connected which is likewise connected to the arm 24. To the other arm of the bell crank 27 a link 29 is attached which is also pivotally connected to one arm of a bell crank 30 pivotally mounted at 31on the reach 32 of the arm 21, whichreach extends above the table 33 in a plane above the printing device guideway 10. At the outer end of the reach a platen head 34 is arranged which has trackways 35 on each side thereof along which rollers in the bifurcated frames 36 and 37 may travel. The bifurcated frame 36 carries the main platen P while the frame 37 carries the auxiliary platen A, these platensbeing of the so-called roller type, and this arrangement is more clearly described in the previously referred to Duncan patent. The frames 36 and 37 are interconnected and the platens P and A are arranged in tandem. The frame 37 is pivotally connected at 38 to an arm of the bell crank 30 and therefore when movement is imparted to the bell cranks 27 and 30 the frames 36 and 3'7 will be moved along the trackways to thereby impart a reciprocatory movement to the platens P and A which will be lowered from the full-line position of Fig. 1 into the dotted-line position thereof when the roller 22 moves through the cam groove 23 simultaneously with the operation of the bell cranks 27 and 30. The platen P will cooperate with the printing device 11 arranged over the anvil B in the machine and will make an impression from this printing device onto a sheet of paper arranged on the table 33 through a suitable ink ribbon R arranged intermediate the sheet and the printing device 11. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention an auxiliary printing device D is removably mounted in a frame F mounted on the table 33 above and across the printing device guideway. At the time the platen P is making the impression as above described onto the sheet from the printing device 11 fed into printing position above the anvil B, the platen A will be making an impression onto the sheet from the printing device D through the ribbon S interposed between the sheet and the printing device D. We have described the platens P and A as being arranged in tandem and as making impressions from an ordinary printing device and an additional printing device. However, it is to be understood that under certain conditions of operation these two platens might operate on the same printing device and thus where a relatively wide printing device is employed one of these platens may be arranged to operate between one edge of the printing device and the medial portion thereof, while the other platen thereof will operate between said medial portion and the edge opposite the firstnamed edge and the length of the stroke necessary to perform an operation may be reduced to one-half of that which would be required if one platen were to move over the entire printing device. This is particularly advantageous since it speeds up the operation of the machine and the use of these platens arranged in tandem either with a regular printing device and an auxiliary printing device or with but one printing device is intended to be within the ambit of our invention. Moreover, we have described the device as embodying two ribbons R and S and each of these ribbons are directed over the printing devices with which they are to cooperate, and in theillustrated embodiment of the invention both the supply spool and the take-up spool for the ribbons are arranged on the same side of the printing device guideway. A bracket 39 is provided on which the spool 40 for the ribbon S is mounted and in the illustrated embodiment of the invention'the spool 40 is the supply spool although when the ribbon has been unwound therefrom in a predetermined amount the direction of ribbon movement will be reversed in a manner to be described, and this spool will then serve as a take-up spool, while the spool 41, which in the illustrated embodiment is acting as the take-up spool, will serve as the supply spool. From the supply spool 40 the ribbon is directed over a guide pin 42 mounted in a bracket 43 and is directed over the printing device D and about a guide pin 45 and about a guide pin 44 back under the extent of the ribbon S over the printing device D to the guide pin 46 and thence to the take-up spool 41. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the spool 47 serves as the supply spool for the ribbon R, when the spool 48 is acting as the take-up spool. The ribbon R is directed around suitable guide pins across the printing device 11 above the anvil B in the same manner as that in which the ribbon S is directed about guide pins. Pivotally mounted at 49 on the bracket 39 is an arm 50 having a pawl 51 thereon acted on by a spring 52 to provide an over-center device whereby the pawl may be either engaged with the ratchet 53 associated with the spool 40 or with the ratchet 54 associated with the spool 41. Pivotally mounted at 55 on the frame 39 is an arm 56 carrying a pawl 57 acted on by a spring 58 whereby this pawl may be held either in engagement with the ratchet 59 associated with the spool 47 or with the ratchet 60 associated with the spool 48. A link 61 interconnects the arms 50 and 56 so that these arms will act as a unit. Connected to the arm 56 is a bracket 62 carrying a roller 63 engageable by a roller 64 on an arm 65 on a bell crank 66 fast on the shaft 20. When the shaft 20 is moved to cause the reach 32 to move toward the table 33 the roller 64 moves in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 3 and engages the roller 63 to therefore move the frame 62 to thereby impart movement to the arms 56 and 50 to cause the pawls 51 and 57 to motivate the ratchets 54 and 60 to thereby cause the ribbons to be unwound from the spools 40 and 4'7 to be wound upon the spools 41 and 48. When a predetermined amount of ribbon has been unwound from the spools 40 and 47 by this step-bystep movement the pawls will be engaged with the ratchets 53 and 59 and therefore the ribbon will be wound in the other direction. However, while we have described the use of two ribbons it is to be understood that but one wide ribbon might be employed, and this might be brought about in the manner disclosed in Figs. 4, 5 and 6.

The machine disclosed in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 may, for example, be of the character disclosed in'the Duncan Patent No. 1,274,350, patented July 30, 1918, and includes frame 67 having a suitable bearing structure 68 at the rear edge thereof on which a platen or stamper arm 69 is pivotally mounted which carries the platen head 70 having the usual platen 71 thereon and in the present instance platens '72 and '73. Either one or both of the platens 72 or 73 may be employed, as desired, and they are used to make an impression in cooperation with the platen 71. This machine includes printing device guideways '74 having carrier bars 75 therein on which the pawls 76 are arranged, which pawls successively engage the rear edges of the printing devices 11 to withdraw them from the usual magazine (not shown) to pass them through the guideways into printing position above the anvil 77 and out through the usual printing device discharge means 78. In order to operate the carrier bars 75 vertically extending interconnected levers 79 are provided to which a link 80 is pivotally connected. The levers 79 are pivotally connected through suitable links to the carrier bars '75 and an arm 81 movable with the platen arm 69 extends into the frame 67 and has a link 82 connected thereto that is also connected to one of the levers 79. Therefore, each time the platen arm 69 is moved downwardly the carrier bar 75 will be motivated to advance the printing devices through the guideways 74 and therefore an impression may be made from the printing device above the anvil 77 by the platen 71 through the are removably mounted. The faces of these anvils are inclined toward the anvil 7'! and therefore the printing devices disposed thereon are arranged at an angle and the faces of the platens cooperating therewith are arranged in corresponding angles to be parallel with the printing devices. While an additional ink ribbon may be provided to extend below each of the platens across the respective printing devices, we illustrate and have used a single ink ribbon of sufficient width to extend across the faces of all three printing devices and the ends of this ribbon are secured to and are windable on and unwindable from spools 8'7 and 88 arranged along opposite sides of the machine, these spools being supported by suitable brackets 89 and 90. Associated with each of the ribbon spools are ratchets 91 and cooperating therewith are pawls 92 mounted on arms 93. The arms 93 are connected by a link 94 and by manipulating this link one of the pawls will be engaged with the adjacent ratchet while the other of the pawls will be disengaged from its adjacent ratchet and therefore when the pawls are operated in a manner to be described one of the ribbon spools will be driven to wind the ribbon thereon as it is unwound from the other of the spools. The pawls are held from engagement with the ratchets by shrouds movable into such position by manipulation of the link 94. In order to operate the pawls to cause this winding of the ribbon an arm 95 having a cam surface thereon is fast on the arm 81. A rocker 96 is pivotally mounted in the frame and has a roller 97 thereon held against the cam surface on the arm 95 by a spring 98. The rocker 96 is connected by a link 99 to one of the arms 93 and therefore each time the platen arm 69 is moved downwardly the cam surface on the arm 95 will move past the roller 9'? to motivate the rocker 96, and this movement will be imparted through the link 99 to one of the arms 93 and the other of the arms 93 will likewise be moved since the movement will be transmitted through the link 99 thereto. Hand wheels 100 are associated with each of the spools 8'7 and 88 to permit manual manipulation thereof. A sheet will be introduced onto the table 101 and the handle 102 on the platen arm 69 will be grasped and said arm will be moved downwardly and therefore an impression will be simultaneously made on the sheet from each of the printing devices by each of the platens hrough the common ribbon 'I. Should an impression be desired only on one side of the impression made by the main or usual platen 71 one of the platens '72 or '73 will be removed.

It is manifest from the foregoing description that we have provided an arrangement whereby additional or auxiliary impressions may be made on a sheet at the same time the usual impression is being made thereon. Furthermore, these impressions may be made from auxiliary printing devices which may be associated with the usual variable printing devices and the impressions may be made through an ink ribbon arrangement which will be motivated in accordance with the performance of the printing operations and, as previously shown, these impressions may be made through an ink ribbon common to all the impressions to be made or an ink ribbon may be provided to cooperate with each of the different impression positions.

While We have illustrated and described a preferred form of construction for carrying our invention into effect, it is to be understood that this is capable of variation and modification and we therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth but desire to avail our selves of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

W e claim:

1. In a printing machine, a printing device guideway, printing means extending transversely of said printing device guideway, an ink ribbon extended over said printing means and transversely of said printing device guideway, platen means including platen rollers arranged in tandem and extended transversely of said printing device guideway, and means for simultaneously moving said platen rollers over said printing means and parallel to said printing device guideway and across said ink ribbon to make an impression from said printing means through said ink ribbon.

2. In a printing machine, a printing device guideway having an anvil therein, means sequentially feeding printing devices through said guideway and onto said anvil, printing means disposed above said printing device guideway and in juxtaposition to said anvil, platen means including platen rollers extending transversely of the printing device guideway and arranged in tandem and respectively aligned with the anvil and the printing means, and means for simultaneously operating said platen rollers to move said rollers parallel with the printing device guideway to make impressions simultaneously from the printing device on the anvil and said printing means.

3. In a printing machine, a printing device guideway having an anvil therein, means sequentially feeding printing devices through said guideway and onto said anvil, printing means disposed above said printing device guideway and in juxtaposition to said anvil, a platen arm, frames mounted on said platen arm for movement therealong, platen rollers mounted in said frames and extended transversely of said printing device guideway and respectively aligned with said anvil and said printing means, means for moving said platen arm to respectively position said platen rollers in printing relation with the printing device on the anvil and with said printing means, and means for moving said frames along said platen arm to move said platen rollers parallel with said printing device guide- Way and over the printing device above the anvil and said printing means upon movement thereof into printing relation with said printing device and printing means.

i. In a printing machine, a printing device guideway having an anvil therein, means sequentially feeding printing devices through said guideway and onto said anvil, printing means disposed above said printing device guideway and in juxtaposition to said anvil, platen means including platen rollers extending transversely of the printing device guideway and arranged in tandem and respectively aligned with the anvil and the printing means, ink ribbon means having the ribbon thereof ertended transversely across the printing device on said anvil and said printing means and embodying take-up spools arranged at one side of said printing device guideway, and operating means for the print ing device feeding means, the ink ribbon means and the platen means, said operating means moving said platen rollers parallel with said printing device guideway and over the printing device on the anvil and over the printing means to make impressions from said printing device and printing means through the part of the ink ribbon positioned above said printing device and printing means.

5. In a, printing machine, a printing device guideway having an anvil therein, means sequentially feeding printing devices through said guideway and onto said anvil, printing means disposed above said printing device guideWay and in juxtaposition to said anvil, platen means including platen rollers extending transversely of the printing device guideway and arranged in tandem and respectively aligned With the anvil and the printing means, an ink ribbon extended transversely across the printing device on said anvil, spools for said ink ribbon mounted on one side of said printing device guideway, another ink ribbon extended transversely across said printing means, spools for the second ink ribbon and mounted on one side of said printing device guideway in juxtaposition to the first-named spools, operating means for the first-named spools including an operating member, operating means for the second-named spools including an operating member, means interconnecting said operating members for simultaneous movement, means for operating said interconnected operating members to wind said ink ribbons on one spool of each set of spools as they are unwound from the other of the spools of said sets of spools, and means for moving said platen rollers over the printing device on the anvil in said printing means and parallel to said printing device guideway to make impressions simultaneously from the printing device and the printing means through said ink ribbons.

ALONZO ELEY. EDWARD JOHN HODGKINSON. 

